Wednesday, 22 February 2017

Happiness

I normally sleep well. Which means i sleep till almost 6:00
AM.

Today it was not so. I woke up a bit too early and as usual
looked at messages and mails which had arrived during the night. Going through
the messages i noticed that generally members of my family group were
'happy". That triggered a series of thoughts.

I tried to discuss with myself and then decided i must look
for answers to questions like;

What is happiness?

Why is it important to be happy?

What should we do to be happy?

Can we measure happiness or can we undertake some
reality check for self correction?

And i thought i should not only look for answers but also
must write down. Then came the question why do people write? For some, it
is a career; for others, a hobby. Some write because it helps them to
sort out their feelings. Some have a story to tell. And
some write because nothing in the world makes them happier.

For me it is mainly to communicate with people close to me
generally, and specifically for giving a message to children in my family. I
searched for answers to questions i had about happiness and got the
same. The purpose for this piece also for children to understand the
concept and prepare themselves to remain happy. Happiness/ unhappiness iscontagious. If i find a
child in my vicinity unhappy, it makes me unhappy. I am only being selfish when
i copy - paste what i cameacross on
the subject.

Here it goes:

What is happiness:

In her 2007 book The How of Happiness, positive
psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky elaborates, describing happiness as
“the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a
sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.”

Why practice happiness?

In addition to making us feel good, studies have found
that happiness actually improves other aspects of our lives. Here is an
overview of some of the good stuff that research has linked to
happiness.

Happiness is good for our health: Happy people are
less likely to get sick, and they live longer.

Happiness is good for our relationships: Happy people
are more likely to get married and have fulfilling
marriages, and they have more friends.

Happy people make more money and are more
productive at work.

Happy people are more generous.

Happy people cope better with stress and trauma.

Happy people are more creative and are better able
to see the big picture.

It is obvious we must do whatever it needs to remain happy.

How to cultivate happiness?

Here are some of the keys to happiness Lyubomirsky and other
researchers have identified.

·Build
relationships: Perhaps
the dominant finding from happiness research is that social
connections are key to happiness. Studies show that close
relationships, including romantic
relationships, are especially important, suggesting we should make
time for those closest to us—people in whom we can confide and who’ll support
us when we’re down.

·Give
thanks: Research
by Michael McCullough, Robert Emmons,
Lyubomirsky, and others has revealed the power of simply counting our blessings
on a regular basis. People who keep “gratitude
journals” feel more optimism and greater satisfaction with their lives.
And research shows that writing a “gratitude letter” to someone you’ve never
properly thanked brings a major boost of happiness.

·Give
up grudges: Groundbreaking
studies by Everett
Worthington, Michael
McCullough, and their colleagues show that when we forgive those who
have wronged us, we feel better about ourselves, experience more positive
emotions, and feel closer to others.

·Get
physical:Exercise isn’t
just good for our bodies, it’s good for our minds. Studies show that regular
physical activity increases happiness and self-esteem, reduces anxiety and
stress, and can even lift symptoms of depression. “Exercise may very well be
the most effective instant happiness booster of all activities,” writes
Lyubomirsky in The How of Happiness.

·Pay
attention:Studies show that
people who practice mindfulness—the
moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and external
circumstances—not only have stronger immune systems but are more likely to be
happy and enjoy greater life satisfaction, and they are less likely to be
hostile or anxious. Pioneering research by Richard Davidson, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and others has found that a
basic eight-week mindfulness training program can significantly improve our
physical and psychological well-being.

To these "hows", i have mine own. Every one of us
may not get everything in life. Let us make sure we are not unhappy because
some one else has got something we have not got. The last suggestion
about material wealth is very difficult to practice, but if we can do that our lives
and those of people around us will be more enjoyable and this world will be a
better place to live.

There are tools to measure the state as the website provides.
Even without such support we all know if we are happy or not. We need to
be able to find out if we are unhappy, why are we unhappy? That can not be a
perpetual state. We must develop ability to come out of such a state and win
over the same. Remember unhappiness is a state of mind and no body other than
ourselves can have control over our minds.